Her lips curled in disdain, her eyes brimming with malice.
“Your love for things of this world's gonna be your end, you be lookin' at me like I'm old and all. Times is hard and tough out there. Leave ‘em flashy things be and grind hard!”
I sighed in regret as my mama's last words to me flooded my thoughts. Those words drove a knife through my heart on the night I packed a small bag containing my few belongings and ran away from home many years ago.
My wine glass almost slipped out of my hand as my vision turned blurry. I gulped down the remaining wine in my glass and emptied the rest from the bottle into it. A bottle or two of Chardonnay every night was my comfort during my pity parties. There was no one around to see me inebriated anyway, so what did it matter?
I wasn't born to ‘grind hard' like my mama. She grew up in a tough town where almost everyone worked their fingers to the bone to survive. The few rich ones lord over them, ruling the town.
I was born into that insufferable indigence but quickly became allergic to it. My palms were soft and didn't deserve to be calloused like hers. A glance at my well-manicured hands revealed the chipped parts of my nail polish, so I sent my nail technician a text.
My eyes strayed to the portrait of me, Lucas and our baby girl, Alicia, on the wall leading to the bedrooms upstairs. My heart lurched in pain and tears slipped down my cheeks. I sniffed and angrily wiped them.
“You're a queen, Flora, and deserve better than this town. Come with me to the city,” Lucas whispered to me in his bed when I'd just turned eighteen. His tanned skin and masculine features drew me to him. He was an upcoming rapper and his manager assured him of better opportunities in Easelfalls. His music career would gain better traction.
I was in love with Lucas and he intensified the attraction with expensive gifts, making other girls green with envy. He was the epitome of the luxurious lifestyle I'd always fantasised about. Lucas and Easelfalls city welcomed me with open arms and truly, I lived like a queen—for about five years before my world came crashing down.
Lucas aka daGrail became a household name in Easelfalls. I had a baby girl with him and then our relationship began to suffer. Being a young mother was a nightmare for me while Lucas gallivanted around the country on tours, promoting his successful music.
Every media outlet bombarded me with pictures of Lucas and beautiful women strapped to both his arms. We argued on the phone and fought every time he came home.
After a while, he stopped coming home. Then the financial support dwindled until I took him to court and got more than I expected. My baby, Alicia was eight years old, oblivious to her unloving parents.
I would look at this young girl, a spitting image of her handsome father, and wonder how I became blessed with such a calm soul. In the midst of the raucous fights of her two immature and selfish parents, she was the better version of us put together.
[TO BE CONTINUED….]
Image: RDNE Stock project from pexels
